Business alumni share experiences with UHV students
When Teri Moten graduated from the University of Houston-Victoria with a Master of Business Administration in 1996, she didn’t expect the winding path her career would take. Now the Victoria businesswoman is coming to share her story and knowledge with a new generation of business students.
“I enjoy sharing things I wish I’d known when I was first starting my own career,” Moten said. “This is my fourth time participating in Alumni Week, and I love having the opportunity to come back to the university that I was part of and give back to the upcoming group of graduates.”
Moten is among nine alumni who spoke to UHV College of Business classes as part of the college’s annual Alumni Week event from April 15 to 19. Four alumni visited classes in Victoria while four visited classes at UHV Katy and another spoke to students through Microsoft Teams. Each of the in-person presentations also were available to watch through Teams.
“The College of Business is excited to welcome back our alumni to share their experiences with our students,” said Rhiannon Smith, assistant dean of administration and student services in the business college. “Our hope is that our students will be inspired by their examples and know that they are on the right track toward a successful career.”
Moten, a sales and marketing manager for Spherion, has navigated through various career shifts. She started out in retail furniture, then moved into a financial advisor role. From there, she became a pharmaceutical sales representative, then moved into insurance, and then digital marketing. Today, she works in the staffing industry. When she spoke to students on Tuesday, she encouraged them to think outside of the traditional, linear career path.
“There are so many fields and roles out there, and you can’t limit yourself or put yourself in one box and hope to succeed,” she said. “I’ve had some big jumps in my career, and some of them came with huge learning curves, but I embraced every opportunity. I knew I was there to learn something and contribute to the business and its clients.”
Another important factor Moten highlighted was the importance of networking, even before students graduate. As part of her presentation, Moten gave students her contact information and encouraged them to reach out to her to network and get further advice.
“Every time I’ve come to alumni week, I always have a few students who reach out to me afterward and set up a meeting,” she said. “We usually get coffee and spend the time talking about their goals. I like to work with them and see how I can help connect them with people who will give them a strong start in their future careers.”
Moten spoke to a “Principles of Marketing” class taught by Jun Yang, a UHV professor of marketing. In addition to Moten, the other speakers were:
- Teena Jason
- Jeanniery Gonzalez
- Donald Jirkovsky
- Amanda Arrisola
- Mark Martinez
- Dhaval Shah
- Jean Hinojosa
- Carmen Perwaiz
The University of Houston-Victoria, located in the heart of the Coastal Bend region since 1973 in Victoria, Texas, offers courses leading to more than 50 academic programs in the schools of Arts & Sciences; Business Administration; and Education, Health Professions & Human Development. UHV provides face-to-face classes at its Victoria campus, as well as an instructional site in Katy, Texas, and online classes that students can take from anywhere. UHV supports the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Opportunities for All initiative to increase awareness about state colleges and universities and the important role they have in providing a high-quality and accessible education to an increasingly diverse student population, as well as contributing to regional and state economic development.